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Blaming a few bad apples to save a threatened barrel: the system-justifying function of conspiracy theories
Open accessAbstract
This research demonstrates that conspiracy theories—often represented as subversive alternatives to establishment narratives—may bolster, rather than undermine, support for the social status quo when its legitimacy is under threat. A pilot study (N = 98) found a positive relationship between conspiracy belief and satisfaction with the status quo. In Study 1 (N = 120), threatening (vs. affirming) the status quo in British society caused participants to endorse conspiracy theories. In Study 2 (N = 159), exposure to conspiracy theories increased satisfaction with the British social system after this had been experimentally threatened. In Study 3 (N = 109), this effect was mediated by the tendency for participants exposed (vs. not exposed) to conspiracy theories to attribute societal problems relatively more strongly to small groups of people rather than systemic causes. By blaming tragedies, disasters, and social problems on the actions of a malign few, conspiracy theories can divert attention from the inherent limitations of social systems.
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“Republicans are more likely than Democrats to endorse Qanon -the far-right theory that a Deep State is conspiring against President Trump [53].”
From The dark side of social movements: social identity, non-conformity, and the lure of conspiracy theories (2020) · cites this paper as [53]
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“Moreover, it positively impacts individuals’ mental health, such as perceived control and security [35].”
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A Bayesian decision-theoretic framework for studying motivated reasoningPreprint
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“The consequence is that individuals will perpetrate hostile acts mainly to show their displeasure against authorities they consider ineffective, illegal and immoral (Jolley et al ., 2018; 2019).”
BackgroundThe social psychology of conspiracy theories: Key insights and future challenges
Douglas, K. M., & Sutton, R. M. (2025) · Advances in experimental social psychology · doi:10.1016/bs.aesp.2024.10.004 · Cited by 6
Pummerer, L., Gkinopoulos, T., Douglas, K. M., Jolley, D., & Sassenberg, K. (2024) · Psychological Inquiry · doi:10.1080/1047840x.2024.2442906 · Cited by 8
“…salient in conspiracy theories should also bring forward different action tendencies, other studies have found a relation between conspiracy beliefs and more political or broader civic engagement (e.g., Jolley et al., 2018; Pantazi et al., 2022; Winter et al., 2023, see also Imhoff et al., 2021).”
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“Additionally, authoritarianism, news use of media, perceived threat, and feeling of hope were also controlled according to prior literature (Jolley et al. 2018; Min 2021; Peitz et al. 2021; Richey 2017; Wood and Gray 2019).”
'I-know-it-when-I-see-it' - Motivating Examples in the Social Psychology of Conspiracy Theory Theory
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“Additionally, conspiracy beliefs have been linked to lower adherence to public health guidance, including vaccine uptake and compliance with preventive measures 17,18 .”
Suchier, J., Demarque, C., & Girandola, F. (2024) · Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy · doi:10.1111/asap.12402 · Cited by 5
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“In uncertain times, conspiracy theories function to reproduce the status quo, rather than protest or change it (Jolley et al., 2018; Nera et al., 2021).”
Mao, J., Zeng, Z., Yang, S., Guo, Y., Wang, B., & van Prooijen, J. (2025) · British Journal of Psychology · doi:10.1111/bjop.70016 · Cited by 3
“Likewise, Jolley et al. (2018) found that after perceiving systemic threats, conspiracy theories led people to shift the attri-bution of social problems from the flaws of the system itself to hostile groups.”
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“The results of conspiracy theory belief are less ambiguous, linking it to feelings of threat or exclusion (Jolley et al., 2018).”
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“We follow the lead of a number of other studies examining people’s conspiracy beliefs (e.g. Miller, Saunders and Farhart 2015; Jolley, Douglas, and Sutton 2018; Stoica and Umbreş 2021) and combine respondents’ answers into a composite variable, hereafter referred to as Coronavirus conspiracy…”
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“Belief in conspiracy theories has been linked to anxiety [31], a sense of powerlessness [32], perceived threats [33], and uncertainty [34].”
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IORDACHE, D.-R. (2025) · Revista Română de Filosofie Analitică · doi:10.62229/rrfaxvi-1/3
Uscinski, J. E. (2018) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780190844073.002.0005
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Conspiracy Mentality and Political Orientation across 26 countriesPreprint
Zimmer, F., & Imhoff, R. (2022) · OSF Preprints (OSF Preprints)
Mestvirishvili, M. (2026) · International journal of psychological research · doi:10.21500/20112084.8137
“The tendency to attribute negative outcomes to external, intentional agents (Jolley et al., 2018) reinforces the perception of being a targeted victim, thereby deepening the chronic sense of injustice and victimhood (van Prooijen, 2021).”
Quarisa, C. M., & Thomas, E. F. (2026) · Frontiers in Social Psychology · doi:10.3389/frsps.2026.1768090
The Distinct Nomological Pathways of Psychological Factors of Conspiracy Mentality
Mashuri, A., & Zaduqisti, E. (2026) · Psychology and Developing Societies · doi:10.1177/09713336261467856
Metadata
- Authors
- Jolley, D., Douglas, K. M., & Sutton, R. M.
- Affiliations
- University of Staffordshire (GB)
- University of Kent (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Jolley, Daniel
- Douglas, Karen M.
- Sutton, Robbie M.
- Venue
- Political Psychology
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2017-02-18
- Volume
- 39
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 465-478
- ISSN
- 0162-895X (ISSN-L)
- 1467-9221
- OpenAlex
- W2589123060
- Cited by
- 170
- References
- 59
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 17 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 42 · 2021: 18 · 2020: 14 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 42 · 2017: 1
- FWCI
- 44.83
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- Licence
- Locations
- Political Psychology (publishedVersion)
- Staffordshire Online Repository (Staffordshire University) (acceptedVersion)
- Kent Academic Repository (University of Kent) (acceptedVersion)
- Repository@Nottingham (University of Nottingham) (acceptedVersion, other-oa)
- Repository@Nottingham (University of Nottingham) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Northumbria Research Link (Northumbria University) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Misinformation and Its Impacts
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social and Intergroup Psychology
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence
- Keywords
- conspiracy theories, system justification, status quo, social legitimacy, blame attribution, British society
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